Walnut Coriander Pesto Pasta

I love making  pesto pasta, but here in Bangalore you don’t get Basil that easily , I know we can use the Holy Tulsi/Basil but that’s too strong, the Basil we get to buy the leaves are bigger to the once we grow at home and that gives good taste for the pesto sauce. so I was wondering what should I substitute Basil with, then I thought I could use either Palak/Spinach or coriander/cilantro and try but I had only coriander at home so I just decided to take a risk, and it turned out really good and tasty, coriander pesto sauce dint disappoint me, I am going to make it regularly and also try palak pesto next time. So here goes the recipe for walnut coriander pesto pasta.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 15  to 20 minutes.
Idle Time: nil
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
makes: 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients     

Coriander – ¾ cup packed

Walnuts – 8 t0 10 cup

Olive oil – 1 tbspn + 1 tspn

Garlic – 3 small sized cloves

Cheese – ¼ cup grated + 1 tbspn or more according to your taste

Pasta – penne 200 grams

Mixed Vegetables – 1 cup (capsicum, mushroom, olives, jalapenos etc) add more if you like.

Water – 400 ml + 1tspn vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Oregano – ½ tspn

Chilli flakes – 1tspn (optional)

Method

First boil the water with 1tbspn of salt, once when the water comes to boil add the pasta and oil and let it cook for 15 minutes, it usually cooks perfectly between 11 to 15 minutes, when cooking in high boiling point. Once the pasta is cooked drain it and wash it under running cold water so that it does not cook further and also add some oil and mix the pasta so that it does not stick and keep aside.

   

For making the pesto sauce

Grind the coriander, walnuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil, grind it into paste and the sauce is ready

Now take a pan add 1 tspn oil and sauté the veggies by adding little salt. I had boiled the mushroom for 10 minutes with salt, so I dint need to cook the veggies much, one done add the pasta and the sauce and mix well. Now remove it from the flame and add oregano and chilli flakes and some more grated cheese mix well and serve with chilly garlic bread (which I usually make to go with the pasta).

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Homemade Mascarpone Cheese/Cream Cheese

I wanted to make Tiramisu but… yeh but here in Bangalore we don’t get cream cheese that easily, and for 100 to 200 grams for a tub of cream cheese it costs a lot, so when I was browsing how to make tiramisu cake I got this recipe for making homemade Mascarpone cheese. I was excited at the same nervous because I though I might not be able to do with just reading the steps and the pictures even though it was given in detail but I was not sure whether I would pull it off at least somewhat ok.

I also got recipe for making cream cheese using paneer making method I did try that but I dint like it cause I was getting the taste of curd and it was nowhere like cheese and that why I was searching again and got this recipe and it was one superb recipe.

But I wanted to make eggless tiramisu since DH was coming back from the US after a month I wanted to do something different , but with this cream cheese was a hitch but I just decided to try and it was simple and easy to make and it tasted awesome too. So here goes the recipe

Recipe Source – Cakesandmore

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 5 minutes.
Idle Time: 24hours
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Makes: I cup or 230 grams

Ingredients
Cream – 400ml (25% fat)
Lemon juice – 1tbsp

How to make

Take water in wide bowl, the water should be about 1”, boil the water, once the water starts boiling reduce the flame and the water should be early simmering. Take another small bowl pour the cream and place it in the wide bowl, the bowl need to sit in the simmering water.

Heat the cream , stirring it often .Keep string for about fifteen minutes , now add the lemon just and keep string it continuously for fifteen minutes or until the cream curdle and the cream will thicken and will coat the spatula. The curdling will not look like what it will look like while making panner, except for tiny granules.

Remove the bowl from the water and let it cool for some 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line the sieve with dampened cheese cloth and set it over a bowl, transfer the mixture into the lined sieve don’t squeeze it just leave it as it is. Let it be for some time and then refrigerate for 24 hours and then it’s ready to use, yummy homemade cream cheese.

 

Custard Butter Biscuits

I wanted to make some biscuits at home and butter was lying at home.I don’t usually use butter to make cakes and so I wanted to make the regular butter cookies using the butter (home made butter) I was searching for recipes, then I got this through one of the blog I wanted to try this immediately and it truly melts in the mouth here goes the recipe.

Recipe Source : Sharmis Passions

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 15 to 20 minutes.
Idle Time: NIL
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
makes: 15 to 16 medium sizes biscuits

Ingredients

Maida – 1 cup
Powdered Sugar – 1/4 cup
Butter, softened – 1/2 cup + 1tbsp
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Vanilla flavoured custard powder – 1/4 cup

How to make

Mix the Maida and custard powder and keep it aside, mix the butter and sugar until the sugar dissolves now add the vanilla essence and mix well. Now add custard powder, Maida to butter sugar mixture and mix well to form smooth dough. Then keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes(see notes).
After 30 minutes take the dough and make it into equal small balls and just press it and flatten it, then slightly press it with a fork dipped in the flour to get those lines on the biscuits.
Preheat the oven to 170 deg C for 10mins. Now bake the biscuits for 15-20mins. Allow them to cool completely.

Notes
If the weather is cold you don’t have to keep the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, just 10 minutes is enough or when the oven is on pre-heat just keep it in the fridge at that time for 10 minutes.
I had kept mine in the fridge for 30 minutes it was very hard when I took it out and also it was very cold at that time in Bangalore so it depends on the weather where you’re staying I guess.

Happy Makara Sankranthi

Happy Makara Sankranthi… 🙂

Eggless cinnamon coffee cake

I wanted to do something different or maybe experiment with baking so I decided I will just add a bit of cinnamon and coffee and make a cake. All the measures I have used in this recipe are just like the way I felt would be apt for the recipe. The main ingredients cinnamon and coffee, I have added the way I wanted you can adjust according to your taste.
The cake came out well, but those who like dark chocolate will like this more also I have done chocolate icing. So here goes the recipe.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 45 minutes plus 30 minutes.
Idle Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Makes: 8 inches cake

Ingredients needed.
Dry ingredients.
Maida or self raising flour – 1 & 1/4th cup
Cocoa Powder – ½ cup minus 1tbspn
Coffee powder – 1 tbspn (instant coffee)
Granulated Sugar – 1 cup
Cinnamon – 1tspn
Choco chips – 1/3rd cup plus half tbspn (optional)
Baking soda – ½ tsp
Baking powder – 1 and 1/4th tsp.

Wet ingredients.
Curd (room temperature / not too cold) – 1 cup
Cooking oil (sunflower, rice bran, ground nut or any cooking oil) – ½ cup
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp.
Milk – 1 tbspn

Ingredients for the Chocolate icing
Wiping cream or Amul fresh cream – 1 cup (cold cream)
Dark chocolate -1/3rd cup chopped
Vanilla essence – 1 tspn
Icing sugar or powdered sugar – ½ cup

 

How to make
Take a bowl, its better if or it should be, the bowl and the blender is cold so keep it in the fridge before wiping the cream. Take the cream, vanilla essence and sugar and wipe it with the bender until it forms soft peaks.
In another bowl take the chocolate and keep it in the double boiler and melt the choclate.once the cream is done add the melted chocolate to the cream and fold it using a spatula nicely until the chocolate is blended well in the cream and voila the chocolate cream is done.

Ingredients for Sugar syrup
Sugar – 1/4th cup minus 1 tbspn
Water – 1/4th cup
Bring the water to boil add the sugar mix well until the sugar is melted, sugar syrup is done.

How to make the cake
Now take the Maida and cocoa power and sieve and keep it aside to mix it.
Take a bowl add the curd beat the curd until its smooth , the add the sugar and beat it until the sugar is melted now add the baking powder and soda and mix it until it becomes frothy , now add the vanilla essence, milk, coffee powder and cinnamon mix it well.

 

 

 Now mix both the wet and dry together until it becomes into to smooth batter.
Preheat the own for 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
Pour the batter in a baking tin or silicon mould just grease the mould with a little oil.
Bake it for 30 to 35 minutes for 180 degrees, when it’s done just poke it with a knife , if the knife comes out clean it’s done or if the cake batter is sticking you need to bake for few more minutes , it all depends on the different oven we use. Once the cake is done let it cool on the wire rack.

 

 

Assembling the cake
Once the cake is cooled off completely, halve the cake into two equal parts. Take one part and add the sugar syrup using the spoon just sprinkle it over the cake then spread the chocolate icing evenly. Then place the second part do the same and spread the icing evenly on the cake covering the sides too. Take the extra Chocó chips and sprinkle on the cake, refrigerate the cake for 4 to 5 hours and the cake is ready to serve.

Notes
•I loved the flavor but it was more of a dark chocolate one.
•It’s good to eat with the icing than plain, this cake does not suit for or it does not come under the plain or sponge cake category.
•It came out nice and spongy but to eat it, its better with the icing, it’s my opinion.

Allu/ Potato stuffed Buns

Hmmm… I love allu buns I would buy them in local bakery when I was a kid and a little older too, but later on I dint like the taste, sometimes it used to be good sometimes it was bad. I still like the other items in that particular bakery is another matter

To make these allu buns you need the YEAST, in Bangalore we don’t get good yeast I tried all the yeast available in the market but nothing was good. Once when I was surfing the net I was searching for the baking ingredients I came across this wonder full blog and I got to know many techniques of baking and many things about baking. Finally when I got the yeast from one of the shops mentioned in the above blog and tried it. Whoa it was a super hit and everyone liked the allu stuffed buns I made at home. So here goes the recipe.

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Idle Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Makes: 6 buns.

Ingredients

For the dough

Maida – 1 and ½ cup

Instant Yeast – 1 and ½ tspn

Water – 1/2 cup (Luke warm water) extra if needed

Salt – ¾ tspn

Sugar – 1 tbspn

Oil -3 tbspn

For the stuffing

Onion – 1 small chopped finely

Green chillies – 6 finely chopped (according to your taste)

Potatoes – 3 medium sized (boiled and mashed)

Peas – ¼ cup (boiled) (optional)

Salt – 3/4^th tspn

Turmeric – 1/4^th tspn

Oil – 1 tbspn

Coriander leaves – chopped

Lemon juice – 1 tspn

Chat masala – 1 tspn (optional)

Let’s start making

First take the Luke arm water add sugar and salt and dissolve it then add the yeast and mix it again , now add the Maida and make it into a dough , while making the dough add little by little oil. When the dough is done just coat the dough with whatever oil is remaining and cover it with cloth or with the cling film and keep it in a warm place to rise. Mine took 45 minutes to rise.

To make the filling

In a pan or kadai add the oil once the oil is hot add the onion, green chillies and turmeric and fry it until it translucent, then add the mashed potatoes , peas and salt and mix let it be for 5 minutes then later add the coriander leaves and lemon juice mix well and off the stove let it cool.

Now getting back to the dough,Once the dough raises punch the dough and kneed it nicely for 10 minutes and make it into a smooth dough,then dived it into six equal balls. Take each ball and make it into a small puri size and keep the stuffing in the centre and cover it from all the sides and make it into small balls and just press it a little in the centre like a bun shape . Then place all the stuffed balls on the baking tray and keep it in warm place let the stuffed balls raise again.

Preheat the oven for 180 degrees for 10 minutes

Once the buns are raised mine took 30 to 40 minutes to rise. Bake the buns for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees and they are done and awesome to eat.

Veg Pizza

I wanted to try making pizza at home from the scratch so first thing I did when I got to knew about a superb recipe I went and bought the ingredients and made the melting in the mouth pizza.

After travelling a bit and being with G I have become a foodie. When I am buying food products for cooking I read what all has gone in and if I don’t understand some words, I come home check the net and I find out what exactly it is and what has gone into that packed product,  also I see that I try and cook food in a healthy way. So here goes the recipe for the vegetarian pizza it’s easy and good.

Ingredients

For the dough

Maida or all purpose flour – 1& ½ cup

Instant yeast – 1tsp

Oil – 1tbsp

Salt – ½ tspn

Sugar – ½ tspn

Water – ½ cup (Luke warm).

For the tomato or the pizza sauce recipe you will have to wait, I have the recipe put no pictures so once I have pictures I will post the sauce recipe.

For the toppings

Tomato or pizza sauce – I cup ( I had home made sauce)

Mixed colour capsicum – 1 cup chopped into small squares.

Mushroom – ½ cup chopped

Baby corn – 3 cut into thin strips.

Black olives – 1/4^th cup chopped

Jalapenos – 1/4^th cup chopped.

Mozzarella cheese – 200gms grated

Olive oil – 1tsp or little more

 

How to make

First sieve the flour and keep it aside. Take the warm water in a bowl mix the sugar and salt until it dissolves then add the yeast and mix again, now add the flour and oil make it into soft dough then cover it and leave it to rise in a warm place. Mine took 45 minutes to 1 hour. When it rises/ doubles in size just punch it down and kneed it into a smooth ball and roll it into a 10 inches circle. The base is ready

Next

Take a sauce pan once its heated add oil  just shallow fry the sliced corn for 2to 3 minutes take it out and keep aside now add the peppers and mushroom (I had already boiled it with salt and turmeric or 15 minutes) add some salt and let it fry for 5 to 7 minutes and keep it aside.

Now the final assembling

First take the 10 inch base in the baking tray /dish or in which ever you’re going to bake the pizza. Place the base on the baking tray, now spread the sauce leaving  ¼ inch space in the sides/border, once that’s done add the cheese spread it exactly like the sauce and keep a tbsp of cheese aside , now add all the topping , add the remaining cheese and sprinkle the olive oil.

Pre heat the oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees and then bake it for 200 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. The baking times depend on the oven you use mine took 25 minutes. Now the pizza is ready to eat.

Edited to add; I have linked the pizza tomato sauce recipes above.

(PS the photos are not that good but not bad too , hopefully will improve in future)

Eggless chocolate Sponge cake.

I love baking, that too eggless and I want to revive my food blog, which has not been updated since ages. So from now onwards I would write/put up all my baking experiments and also other cuisines which I might find interesting. Also my photos may not be that good I will try my best with photographs, my old photos are even more bad so please bear with me .

Ok coming bake to eggless chocolate cake recipe this recipe is the best recipe I have ever found and even a beginner can make perfect airy and moist eggless cake. It’s not like how people think that eggless cakes are dense and it’s just perfect cake. So here goes the recipes

Ingredients needed.

Dry ingredients.

Maida or self raising flour – 1 & 1/4^th  cup

Cocoa Powder – 1/4^th cup

Granulated Sugar –  3/4^th cup

Baking soda –  ½ tsp

Baking powder – 1 and 1/4^th tsp.

Wet ingredients.

Curd (room temperature / not too cold) – 1 cup

Cooking oil (sunflower, rice bran, ground nut or any cooking oil) – ½ cup

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp.

How to make

Now take the Maida and cocoa power and sieve and keep it aside to mix it.

Take a bowl add the curd beat the curd until its smooth , the add the sugar and beat it until the sugar is melted now add the baking powder and soda and mix it until it becomes frothy , now add the vanilla essence  and mix it well.

Now mix both the wet and dry together until it becomes into to smooth batter.

Preheat the own for 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

Pour the batter in a baking tin or silicon mould just grease the mould with a little oil.

Bake it for 30 to 35 minutes for 180 degrees, when it’s done just poke it with a knife , if the knife comes out clean it’s done or if the cake batter is sticking you need to bake for few more minutes , it all depends on the different oven we use.

Once the cake is done let it cool on the wire rack, once it’s cool you can eat it just as sponge cake or with icing .Icing or creaming the cake, it needs a separate post.